Seven Virtues, Seven Vices
by Snowflake Obsidian
Summary: sorry cant update it until April vacation- education comes first. However, I did just revise the first chapter to add more detail and make it even more heartbreaking:3
1. The Second Human

Patience is my virtue.

I woke up somewhere. Dark room. Vibrant, yellow flowers. But that was only for a few minutes. I had a large headache and didn't know where I was or who I was. All I could remember was "Patience." I woke up again in a bed. It was warm and comfortable. I felt like going back to sleep but I couldn't help but notice that smell. Below me on the floor was a pie. I took a small bite out of it and coughed. It wasn't the most... delectable pie...

I walked a few more paces. I wanted to inspect the room. Everything. There's a box with a label, "Try some on." I opened the box and there I saw some slippers inside. I felt them and made sure there were no spiders or anything inside. Nope. Just fluffy slippers. I decided that, 'hey, if I'm being given such hospitality, a stay here with comfy slippers may be nice.' So I put my shoes in and wore the slippers.

I looked around some more. A torch. I lit it with some matches I found on the table adjacent to it in order to get a better view of the room I was in. I found a box with toys inside. I suppose taking one of the toys wouldn't hurt me and would be better for me in the long run. I'm somewhere I've never been before. Who knows what could happen. I picked a toy knife just in case. A light shone below the door that led to another room so I followed it.

I walked down the corridor to the left. I found plants and more rooms. I didn't want to intrude so I just walked until the end of the corridor. I then walked back. As I neared closer to the room I was originally in, I saw a figure open the door and go in. I ran away, trying to find an exit. Although I lost my memory, I managed to remember that I was in the underground and this was a dangerous place. I found a place with a relatively open space. Stairs to the right and a door to the left. I couldn't see where it led to and I didn't want to take the stairs so I kept going forward.

I reached a sort of living room with a fireplace, a table, chairs, and books. I decided that if I were to die, I'd like to die in a way that involved something fun. I took out a book but was dumbfounded when I saw that it was just underground history and snail recipes. I thought that from all these recipes, it was likely only one person lived here. An intellectual. I sat on the chair reading the snail book I took out. It was bookmarked to the page of "snail pie." I smiled because the strange-tasting pie was made dearly. The intention was there and I closed my eyes and smiled for the effort put into the pie.

"Oh, hello, there you are!" said a warm voice. When I opened my eyes, I was startled to see a monster of this sort.

"Umm... hello..." I muttered. I was slightly frightened. My village told lots of stories about the monsters hidden in the mountain. The types that if you were to fall down the mountain you'd die instantly because their primal instinct is to kill humans and absorb their souls. All while doing it very painfully.

"My apologies, child, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Toriel. I'm the keeper of these ruins. I heard you fall and hit your head. I saw some blood on you so I tried to cover it up to stop it. This is my home and you're welcome to stay here as long as you like." She smiled. A very gentle, warm smile. I felt better.

"Thank you," I told her. I reached towards my head to feel the type of bandage she put on me. A ribbon. Well, it _is_ the underground. I wouldn't expect the monsters to have the type of technology we have at the surface. In my village, we found a way to make a sort of bandage by taking canvas and dabbing it with syrup to stick to the skin and have a piece of paper in the middle to clot the blood.

"I baked you a snail pie. I hope you liked it." I nodded my head, trying to appear nice. She smiled and continued with, "Ah splendid, I was worried you wouldn't like it. I wonder, though, how did you fall into the underground?" I tried to think but my head hurt too much. "Don't hurt yourself, child. If you like, you can stay home with me." I nodded my head but was already beginning to think about my escape. "Excellent, if you want, I could read you a story. I promise you, they are very fascinating!"

As she read, she looked so intrigued by the history books and story books. I wondered more about her as she read. What sparked her interest in reading? Why did you bake me a pie? Why are you so hospitable? Why aren't you an incredibly hostile monster like everyone has told me? Are you especially different? Are you the only nice monster? Were you once a parent? Who built this home? Well, as she read more of the history books, that last question was answered.

My plan was to wait out her story time until she got tired. It backfired, for I ended up falling asleep. The last thing I remembered was her opening a new book about 20 more uses for snails. She read a few recipes before everything began to go dark. I woke up in the bed again. My toy knife back in its chest, the slippers at the feet of my bed, and the ribbon still on me. I decided that if I can't out-wake the fluffy monster, I should try to find an exit.

I managed to find the exit, I think. It was more caverns. I lost my toy knife somewhere. I then got lost myself. The ribbon she gave me kept falling on my face, restricting my field of vision. I took it off somewhere and kept walking. I got into a few fights but each time I managed to wait until the perfect moment and killed them at the perfect opportunity. If I had the knife, I would swing it and spin myself if there were many monsters surrounding me. If not, I'd have to use my hands. I was amazed that were hostile, it became obvious to me that my village was right. Monsters just want to kill you and take your soul. Not Toriel, however. But she could never replace my parents. I kept walking until somehow I ended up right back at the house.

Toriel was reading when I came up. She looked at me and exclaimed, "You're hurt!" She ran to the kitchen and tried to heal me with some chocolate she had stashed. I ate the chocolate and was amazed at how better I felt. "But how could food heal me like this?"

"Monsters don't have physical attacks. They have magical attacks. That's why you feel bad but you don't have any actual injuries. Despite that, you're still hurt and if you get too hurt, you will die." I nodded. I began to wonder if humans could use magic attacks. I took another nap and checked that Toriel was busy. I wondered if she ever slept. I decided to check what was down those stairs. It was a very, very long hallway. I kept walking until I found a door. As I was about to reach it, Toriel stopped me and told me that it wouldn't be wise to go past those doors. That, like the ruins, she wouldn't be there to protect me. She asked if I understood and I nodded.

I waited what felt like days. Playing with what I found in the toy box to pass the time. I hoped she would have forgotten about my attempt of escape by then. I appeared happy and for a bit I had forgotten I had ever wanted to leave this home and go back to the surface. But I needed to leave. I wanted to see my family again. I waited again until Toriel was deep into a book and ran this time. I ran and managed to leave the ruins. Outside was cold. Snow on the ground and I was in socks. I walked a few steps before I saw what looked like a large ghost of Toriel.

"Toriel..." I cried out. "Help me." But nobody came. It was just me and that figure that just stood and waited for me to die. 'Patience...' I told myself. I looked up at the white, fluffy figure. It looked worried but wouldn't move. I knew that it was the end for me. But I waited. Patience. Toriel will come. Patience. I shall see my family again. Patience.

Patience.

Patience.

Patience.

Patience.

Patience that I shall soon die.

Patience isn't my virtue.

Patience is my vice.


	2. The Third Human

My virtue is Bravery.

I woke up in a bed of flowers. I got up and tried to find my way out but all I could see were cavern walls and a path leading somewhere. I walked through the opening to find myself looking at a bed of grass. Out of nowhere, this flower popped up and started talking to me.

"Hi! My name is Flowey! I-" but I cut him off by trying to attack the talking weed. It's not natural for flowers to talk and I knew it was some kind of monster. My town doesn't take kindly to monsters and from all the stories I've heard, they're down here for a reason. But wait, did that mean, I'm here because I was a bad person? Am I dead? Well, if I'm not, I'm not going to let these monsters try to kill me!

"Well," replied the flower, "it seems as though you're not one for talking." Suddenly there was a "click" and I was surrounded by some kind of circling bullets all aimed at me. I didn't care, though, those damn bullets aren't enough to kill me. I'll have to kill the flower, even if it means getting hurt.

As I ran into the bullets, the flower stood still, stunned. A perfect opportunity; I clenched my fist, feeling the texture of my glove and punched that weed in its unholy face. The flower evaded my second attack and fled under the ground and appeared behind me.

I turned around and got ready for my next attack before saying, "listen, you dirty weed, in this world, it's kill or be killed." The flower stared at me for a few seconds after muttering the sentence and I ended up punching the mushy, brown dirt because it evaded my attack. I think I saw a glimpse of a smile as I attacked, however.

There I stood, kneeling on the ground, with my left hand holding my hurt right hand, when I heard a voice call out to me, "are you hurt? Are you okay?" I looked up to what appeared as an angel. Maybe this really was purgatory. Although, I can't remember much before I woke up on the flowers. I remember the people in my life. And what I did in my life. But I can't remember the events leading up to death.

I stared at the angel straight in the eye and asked, "why am I feeling pain?"

She looked confused. "Haven't... you felt pain before?"

"Yes, but when you die, you're not supposed to feel pain."

"Die? Child, you're not dead. You fell. And I'm guessing you fell the same place where that other human fell." Oh. There were more humans before me. Or maybe there was a human there now. Well, I was relieved to hear I wasn't dead. That means I can just climb up the hole where I fell and go back.

"Thanks, lady!" I told her. I then ran to the flower bed and tried to find a way up and out of here.

"I'm afraid, there is only one way out. But it's too dangerous."

"Look, I fought a talking flower. And I basically won because it fled, scared of me. I can handle myself. I appreciate your worry for me, but I need to find my way back home and if I must fight a couple monsters, so be it."

"Then fight me. Prove to me how strong you are."

I looked at her. I didn't know what she was or who she was. But she had an angelic face and I honestly did mistake her for an angel. "No," I said, firmly. "If you want strength, there's my strength. My ability to recognize how strength isn't only physical makes up a large amount of my bravery. I'm brave, but sometimes being brave means backing out of a fight. And I'm not going to fight you, lady. I'm going to find my way home and not fear all the potential dangerous threats there are to my health."

"Well, I am astounded," she said. "If you believe in yourself that much, then get through the ruins without my help. At the end of the ruins, is my home, which leads to the rest of the underground. Make it through and I'll grant you passage."

I let out an audible gulp of my saliva. I didn't know what lay ahead of me. But I stared at the lady and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled. She gave me a piece of chocolate and then excused herself and left the room. I looked around to see if maybe that flower was still there. I then looked at the chocolate in my hands and ate a few pieces. I felt a lot better. That flower attack made me feel like a huge weight was on my shoulders and eating a piece of that chocolate made me feel that weight lifted. I stored the other pieces in the folds of my bandana.

I swallowed my spit and breathed in. I adjusted my gloves with my hands and pulled on my bandana. Instantly, a flashback to my father giving me the bandana pulsed through. A strong memory that made my throat hurt. I remembered how my father gave me that bandana the day he left to fight for our village against a neighboring village. I don't remember the reason for the battle but he was drafted and that goodbye was the last time I saw him. He told me to be brave. I drew some abs on it to give the appearance of muscles and bravery. I don't remember how long ago it was, but judging by how strong that memory was, it couldn't have been more than a few months ago. I can't picture his face. I can only remember my feelings and what happened.

"Be brave," I told myself. "For my father." He was a brave man and I will be brave also. After all, I'm sure I could get past a few monsters.

I walked towards the door that led to the ruins. There were a few buttons on the floor but the door was already open to lead into the next room. That angel lady must've left it open for me. I hoped that she would have left all the puzzles solved for me to get through. However, it wasn't the case.

I walked through the ruins, until I came across my first monster: a butterfly-like creature. What harm could a butterfly do? Instead of attacking first, I just checked it out. I was then surrounded by butterflies all around me. It reminded me of being back home in the surface. I reached out to touch one but I got hurt. I realized that this monster was dangerous. When I got the chance, I struck the monster with my glove and it died with one hit. I felt... Better.

If I kill monsters, is that unethical? My father went to a battle and killed other humans. And monsters aren't people...

I let go of that train of thought and moved on. I then came across a bed of spikes. I took a step forward and the spike plate lowered. I let out a sigh. I then walked a normal pace until I stepped on a spike that didn't lower. I reflectively jumped and clenched my foot with my hands. No blood, at least. The puncture just impaled the first layer of my skin. Unfortunately, now there was a hole in my shoe.

I kept moving, but slower. I made sure that with each step I took, I slowly applied pressure to see if it would go down. If not, I looked for another route to take. I ended up spending what felt like fifteen minutes to go through the puzzle. Luckily, no monster attacked.

I continued walking through. I spent about an hour just trying to find my way through and avoiding hidden holes. I fought about four monsters and killed all of them. The frog ones were harder to kill but after each battle, I ate a piece of the chocolate and kept moving on. By the time I reached the house in the ruins, I had two pieces of chocolate.

"Wow!" exclaimed the angel. "You managed to get through without a scratch on your soul! Let me see how many chocolate pieces you have left." I took out the remaining pieces from my bandana. "Ah. And you still have some to spare. Well, child, I suppose you're ready to go through. I had expected anyone that fell down here wouldn't want to stay here. Here, come in."

We walked in through her front door and she led me to a guest room for me to rest to try to find my way the next day with full health. When I woke up, I went to try to find her to thank her for her hospitality.

"Thank you, angel lady, for the preparation in the ruins and your hospitality."

"...Angel lady? Oh, I'm sorry, I never told you my name. My name is Toriel. Please, continue on your route. Stay on the path and you should end up at New Home where you'll be able to cross the barrier. I believe in you." I gave her a thumbs up and she smiled. "Here's more chocolate, just in case." I smiled and went downstairs to the hallway after saying goodbye.

I left the ruins and heard a gentle whisper saying, "be brave."

I squinted my eyes. For a second, I thought I was on the surface. In actuality, the change from dark purple cavern walls to open, white snow made my eyes adjust drastically.

I took a few steps forward. I could feel the snow beneath my feet, especially on the small hole peeking on my right shoe from the spike puncture. I kept walking and walking. It was all plain open areas filled with snow. I then found a bride. It was kind of broken down and it was noticeable many monsters had passed through. I then saw a sign that said "Welcome to the village of Snowdin." I didn't receive any encounters with monsters.

I looked around this village. There were a few homes made out of wood and leaves. In the center of the village was a tree. Past that, I couldn't see anything other than trees. Despite seeing a few homes, I couldn't find anything that may resemble life other than the trees.

I then saw why there were no monsters.

"Human." I looked above me to find a large rabbit-person that appeared to be seven feet tall. White-ish, yellow-ish fur. He wore an iron suit of armor. "Our King has ordered that every human that falls down here must die. I am sir Reynolds, knight of the king's royal guard in charge of defending Snowdin. I have a family to take care of and I will not allow a human to murder my family and take away our land's hope. However, I am not without mercy. I am granting you permission to keep your life in exchange for banishment and to allow you to die naturally. Yet I shall not allow for a human to remain in our town. Choose, human."

I could feel myself rushing with adrenaline. I then tried to strike the rabbit with my gloves but it only dealt him a small fraction of the damage I'd have dealt to other monsters.

"I see, human. You chose death." He then attacked me swiftly and I fell onto the ground. I could hear Toriel telling me, "be brave," and I remembered the chocolate. I ate the remaining two pieces and evaded the rabbit's next attack. I smiled and kept dealing him damage. Even if it was a little, the gloves helped me. He would attack first with a bunny hopping quickly at me. After evading his attacks enough times, he changed it. This new kind of attack was different than from what I had previously seen. As opposed to the frogs and butterflies and the bunny, he had a sort of mine field, which was horrible for me because I had to move to attack. I couldn't stay still or my attacks wouldn't work. I would stand on a plane and there were 8 boxes surrounding me. There were two safe boxes, aside from the box I was standing on, and 6 boxes where I would get hurt. I had a 1/3 chance of not getting hurt. If I didn't move, the boxes wouldn't vanish and I would stay on the current box until I decided to move.

That wouldn't stop me, though. I was brave and went head first and trusted my gut. More times than not, my gut was wrong but I had 4 pieces of chocolate left. And he had 75 health left, while I had 28.

Right choice, 70 against 28.

Wrong choice, 70 against 25.

Wrong choice, 70 against 22.

*Be brave.

Right choice, 65 against 22.

Right choice, 60 against 22.

Right choice, 55 against 22.

Wrong choice, 55 against 19.

Wrong choice, 55 against 16.

Wrong choice, 55 against 13.

*Be brave. Eat some chocolate.

Wrong choice, 55 against 23.

*Be brave.

Wrong choice, 55 against 20.

Wrong choice, 55 against 17.

*Chocolate.

Wrong choice, 55 against 19.

Wrong choice, 55 against 16.

Wrong choice, 55 against 13.

*Be brave. C'mon. Last piece of chocolate.

Wrong choice, 55 against 15.

Right choice, 50 against 15.

*I smiled, maybe luck would be coming my way.

Wrong choice, 50 against 12.

*I was wrong. Very wrong, after that.

I had the option to flee. To accept his terms and leave. Stay in the snow. Cold, but alive. But I wanted to be brave. And I was going to be brave! I saw the numbers decrease. 9, 6, 3. At 3 hp I knew luck was not in my favor. But even then, I felt it in my soul. Resonating within me, "Be brave!"

The rabbit man looked at me and said, "I'll keep your clothes as my prize. Hang it for decoration. Have it passed down for generations. A family heirloom of a reminder of when I killed a human and helped monsterkind."

That resonating tone in my soul sparked inside me louder than ever.

Bravery.

Bravery.

Bravery.

Bravery.

Be brave when it comes to death. Maybe my valiant efforts won't go completely to waste. I gave myself a thumbs up. Looked at the box in front of me, knowing that I might die. But I was ready. I was brave. I was brave enough to fight for my life and what I believed in.

Bravery isn't my virtue.

Bravery is my vice.


	3. The Fourth Human

My virtue is Integrity.

I woke up on a bed of flowers, which was surrounded by water. It looked as though there were bridge pieces for me to hop on. But, there wasn't enough bridge for me to walk through without stepping in water. The water went up to my belly and was actually quite warm. I took off my ballet shoes so they wouldn't get wet.

I didn't know why I woke up here. It was atypical of my routine. At least, I thought it was. Judging from my ballet shoes and tutu, I thought I might be a dancer. As I held my shoes to leap from bridge piece to bridge piece, it became more apparent that I indeed was a dancer. My leaps were large, and I didn't even touch the water until there was absolutely no more bridge pieces near me.

I didn't know either why I felt the need to move on. I could have stayed on that bed of flowers, and take some time to appreciate the sound of the waterfall. But I felt something inside of me, connecting with the environment: like a cry for help.

The more I walked through the water, the more disgusted I became. A small pile of trash began to form and that's when I realized that this water was a sort of trash filter. I wondered where I was. How did I end up in an aqua-dump? I kept walking until I found a waterfall, separated by a bridge. Above me was a loud waterfall. I could feel the mist. I loved it, despite it being trash-water. The ambiance was nice. Mist, good smells, waterfall scenery, and the nice color of dark blue. I loved the color, and I kept walking through the water.

My tutu was soaked and so were my tights. I passed through more turns in the water halls and found the way to dry land. I walked around and found nothing more than what seemed like a mini maze until I figured out where I was, which was the dry land entrance again. I went through every possible route until I found an entrance in the east hall.

I walked in to find so many beautiful, precious gemstones. I was taken back in awe as I took in the beautiful scenery. I then saw an insignia of some sort. A circle with wings and triangles below it. I stared at it for so long, that I was extremely startled when a monster appeared behind me and said, "Fancy seeing a human here."

I jumped and began to feel kind of afraid. How could I be seeing a monster... unless... I fell into the underground... "What are you?"

"I believe the question is who," said the turtle-like monster.

"Who?"

"Ah you sound like an owl, now," he joked.

"There are owls in these caves?"

"No, but I remember them. Back when monsters used to live on the surface."

"Back when? Is this not a regular cave?"

"Human, this is the underground. Your kind forced all monsters in the caverns of this mountain. Now, if the barrier was broken, wouldn't that be a field day for me? Wahahaha. Well, in that case, I suppose this would be a "regular" cave."

"Who are you, then... monster sir?"

"My name is Gerson. I've been alive for quite some time. I like to explore the caverns. This one, however, was already previously explored, as told by the Delta Rune there. I think the scenery is so nice here, that I'll make a home here. My wife and I have been planning to find somewhere amazing to call "home." I'll have to talk to the King's administrators to get the right to set up my home. It'll take a few months, though. Ever since the Queen left, things have been moving slowly, but at least we have hope." With that, I found out many things. The name of the emblem, some history, and that monsters are actually quite advanced with civilization. They have their own society and government set up, with property regulation and marital relationships and everything. My viewpoints on monsters had certainly changed. There were stories about monsters inhabiting the mountain, looking to kill humans. Though, not much was known about them. It was nice to meet one and understand the different perspectives as well as fact from fiction.

"So is it false what the humans say about monsters being evil?"

"Well, monsters aren't inherently evil... We are born innocent. However, if you encounter a monster, they might feel scared and will try to defend themselves. Unlike humans, our souls don't linger, for the most part. Our souls are not as strong and if you kill us, that's the end of our life completely. I fought in the war. I was actually part of the scouts: studying the battlefield then reporting everything to the general. While I was there, I saw monsters die instantly with a quick blow from a strong-souled human. It wasn't fair that humans were murdering monsters, which is kind of why the war started.

The humans feared our ability to take their soul and become extremely powerful. They then used that fear and segregated monsters to live in the mountain, a place where no monster could escape, especially with the magical barrier. Except, there's hope. With the power of 7 human souls, King Dreemurr will be able to break the barrier and free the monsters. That's how us monsters stay hopeful around here.

Oh, dear, sorry. It seems I'm reaching that old age where I just ramble on and on about what I've seen."

"No, it's okay," I quickly reaffirmed. "How many human souls has he collected until now?"

"Just two. Although, with you here, maybe the number will increase to three." The thought of my death made me uneasy. I held my breath.

"...And... Is he going to come to kill me?"

"Well... I don't think so. The King has never killed a human before." I exhaled, relieved that he hadn't reaped the other humans himself. Maybe they died of natural causes. Maybe. And maybe they all lived peaceful lives, coexisting with monsters. I mean, if monsters thought humans were just as dangerous as my town did, then Gerson would have attacked and killed me by now.

"Does that mean the King is now twice as powerful with all the souls he has collected?"

"No, he keeps the souls in containers and the bodies in coffins. King Dreemurr isn't a power-hungry guy. I've met him, he's nice folk, drinking tea, and helping out the community. He doesn't want to feel the power of all the souls until the time comes to take them and use them for our freedom." I felt as though I had a strong moral duty to sacrifice my soul to help out the monsterkind. However, that would require my death. And I never really thought about my death until this moment. I would be a martyr. When I really think about it, I didn't remember my family, my friends, my life, my talents, my qualities, my goals, or anything. I have a few memories involving strong events I've lived through but nothing concrete enough to say that I had aspirations. What I can remember is a word that popped into my mind. 'Integrity.' That word keeps me bound and makes me feel as though I'm not crazy. After all, I could just be hallucinating everything. But my integrity kept me grounded.

"I can see that the thought of the soul collection topic troubles you," Gerson said quietly.

"What?" I responded, "I'm fine." I shook my head.

He smiled at me. "You don't have to give up your soul. As I said before, the last thing Asgore wants is to kill a human himself. You can live down here, if you want. Until your human life ends." My eyebrows scrunched together.

"Why did you say, 'human life?' Are monsters immortal?"

"Only a select few can achieve immortality but for the most part, we monsters just fade away."

"what about you, are you special?"

"Wahaha, I wish. Well, honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe. Maybe not. Wouldn't like it. Even now, the history tends to change around your brain."

"I understand. I suppose not all things glamorous are true to their word."

There was a silence and I started to walk around. My feet had started to hurt. That's when I noticed I've been holding on to my ballet shoes that entire time. I sat on the pebbles on the ground and dusted off my feet and put on my shoes. "Well, Gerson, it was a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine! Please, enjoy your time underground."

"You speak as though I had chosen to stay underground."

"Well, do you wish to leave the underground?"

"That would be desirable. Despite your unfortunate situation, I would prefer to keep my life."

"Well, then, I'm not going to stop you. But please, consider the incredible difficulty it is to pass through the barrier."

"It can't be that hard. I supposedly have a strong human soul."

"You need a human and a monster soul to pass through. You would have to take a boss monster soul to cross the barrier. However, the boss monster souls stay around for only a few seconds before it disappears. So you'll need to catch it quickly."

"Why don't you attack me? Keep my soul and give it to Asgore?"

"I'm not the fighting type and certainly don't want to die just yet-"

"How do you think I feel? I don't want to kill neither do I want to be killed."

"Well then, I'd recommend walking by the waterfalls and learn from yourself. Find your answer from within."

"Thank you, Gerson."

"Of course!"

I waved goodbye at the strange turtle-monster. But I smiled at how amazing it was to meet a friend in the Underground. I had accepted I was in the monster world and that I'd be faced with an Ultimatum. I walked from where I came from but got lost, so I just kept heading straight until I found some glowing grass leading to a peninsula. At the end was an old bird. He offered to take me from one side to the other. I accepted. After all, the worst that could happen was that the bird dropped me in the water, where I'd get wet. It dropped me on the other side and bounced slowly, happily. I kept moving on and found a small bridge. Perhaps it led to the waterfall where I awoke. I met a few other monsters. One in particular asked me about the stars.

"The crystals shining in the cave aren't much different from real life star. And if you really want to see a star, look in a mirror. Anyone can be a star." The monster smiled and told me about how her children will grow up with the knowledge I shared. That made me smile.

I kept walking until this flower popped up.

"Well hey! My name's Flowey!" A talking flower. Was this also a type of monster? Maybe it was a hallucination of my conscience. "Don't worry, like Gerson, I'm a friendly monster."

"Umm… hi," I responded. "How did you know about my encounter with Gerson, and how did you pop up from the ground? Aren't flowers stationery?"

The flower smiled, sweetly. "Sorry for my intrusion. I have the ability to pop up anywhere, so long as there's some kind of ground. So I overheard your conversation with Gerson."

"What about our conversation?" My guard was not let down. Something about this flower seemed… off.

"Well I seemed to recall your inability to choose a decision. Either help out monsterkind and kill yourself or help yourself and kill monsterkind."

"Woah, wait, who said anything about killing all of monsterkind?"

"Well, how would you know who is a monster boss and who isn't? Gerson could have been a monster boss. I could be a monster boss. You'll have to find out who is and isn't. And how would you do that? Well, it's not like you could ask a monster. That would mean their imminent death."

I pondered for a moment. This flower made a good point. But I needed to think more about what I would do. I walked further. Then took a right. Dead end. I saw some tall grass and sat on it. The flower followed me and situated itself in front of me.

"Think of me like a therapist. You have to vent out what you're going to do."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Well, I wanted to reiterate the idea you mentioned before. That you didn't want to kill or be killed."

'It's true, I've never killed anyone."

"I'm sure you've killed a mosquito here and there. Didn't you know they have souls too? Insect souls. If they die naturally, they go to heaven, but if they are killed then they don't have any chance whatsoever." I got frightened. I've killed many bugs in my life. I wasn't sure, but I must've stepped on many bugs while walking. My ballet shoes are hard and would surely crush a bug. The flower saw my face of worry.

"Do you feel guilty? You shouldn't. Your entire life you have probably been told, 'it's okay, it's just a small mosquito.' So much that you probably have stopped recognizing it. Down here, the local spiders have begun selling their cobwebs in exchange for money. The latest Spider Queen has decided on beginning selling webs to make money for the family, since they lost everything after racist monsters set their parlor on fire. Apparently, monsters here believe that monsters smaller than an inch are bugs- not monsters. I'm sure the humans on the surface have similar beliefs."

My eyes were opened in disbelief. I had no idea how precious every life was. And I had the audacity to believe I had integrity. I removed both my ballet shoes and hid them in the grass. I didn't want to hurt any more monsters. At least barefooted, my feet will sink on them but won't crush them.

"But those monsters are right. How could a small, insignificant bug be anything like monsters or humans? Like I said before, why bother feeling guilty about killing monsters when your life is what matters most. Even then, human life is so much more precious. So much stronger than any monster life."

"That doesn't mean their life is worth any less than mine, though."

"There used to be more humans in the Underground. But the monsters fear them so much that they kill them. While you were running away from the truth, I popped to spy on Gerson. He called the local monster bosses to try to kill you and take your soul. Your weak, childish soul."

"What?!" I couldn't believe Gerson did that. But maybe the flower was telling the truth.

"All the humans that have fallen previously had tried to live peacefully with the monsters but they were all killed after falling for their false kindness. When someone doesn't have their guard up, they end up dying quicker. And that's the strategy the monsters used." I shook my head even more in disbelief. "And that's what they did to you once again."

"What do I do?!" I said, panicking.

"Remember that in this world, it's only 'kill or be killed.'"

I nodded and ran away, trying to stay safe.

While I was running as far away as possible, I thought more about my life and what is considered precious. All life is precious. Spiders, Mosquitos, Monsters, Humans. But human life is stronger than all those. We have the ability to murder everyone if we want. Kill or be killed. Kill or be killed. That is what the flower was wrong in. It's kill and be killed. I killed so many monsters, even if they were small ones. Now, it was my time. With my honor, with my integrity, I will save monsterkind. They have certainly found a way to catch on to societal values and be a helpful, working class. Why must they continue to be banished? Punished for no reason, other than out of intimidation.

I found a waterfall with falling rocks. I took off my tutu and grabbed a rock. I was planning to smash my head with the rock.

"Halt!" called out a voice. "Who goes there?!"

"The human, you are searching for."

"Human? We have not received word about a human." Out of the mist popped out an old rabbit-like monster wearing an iron suit. "My name is Sir Reynolds. It's been years since I've seen a human and I've got a bit blind. Are you truly a human, or a prankster? If so, I have the right to arrest you under Dreemurr law."

"Yes," I said peacefully. This was the right choice for me.

He concluded his duties by taking my arm and guiding me to a boat and took me through a large river all the way to the castle. I stayed silent the entire walk to the castle.

"Hello," said a calm voice. "My name is Asgore Dreemurr. I am the King of the Underground and rule over all monsters, ensuring their safety and ensuring their hope stays intact."

"Hope as in-"

"-Hope as in awaiting the arrival of seven humans in order to break the barrier."

"Look, I don't like to talk so formally like this. Would you like to come inside to have some tea?" Tea? This monster King was asking me to have some tea with him. I remember Gerson saying the king was kind, but I couldn't believe the King would offer me tea.

Sir Reynolds interrupted saying, "Your highness, it would not be wise to have tea with a human. They might try to kill you. It would be safer to execute the command for execution."

"Sir Reynolds," he replied, "this human has no sins. They haven't killed you. You've become quite aged, making you an easier target. If it were the malintent of this human to murder a monster, they would have killed you by know." Sir Reynolds bowed his head as a sign of understanding and dismissed himself. The King led me through the castle entrance to the various rooms. He brought me to a house-looking section of the castle. It was a mostly grey color and had music.

"What is that music I hear?" I asked.

"Correct you are! Here, come with me." The King brought me down a grey corridor. I passed by a few golden flowers, the same type that I woke up on. As we walked, the music got louder. We walked until we came across a small table adjacent to the wall. That's where it was coming from. A music box played a cute melody. "Isn't this an amazing little box?" said the king, excited with the music. "You wind it up on the side here, and then out comes music without even having to have monsters pick up an instrument! I think it's such a wonderful box." He began to speed up his words, being so excited. I don't know how I got it, but I have two theories. Either Gaster made it and set it on my door as a gift, or it came from the human world and someone picked it up and set it for me to find. Either way, it's a wonderful gift. Currently, I'm having a statue built and I'm planning on setting this music box inside the statue. However, I'll need to find a way for it to play without being needed to wind."

"What's the statue for?" That question made his excited face change to one more grim.

"My son… He was… murdered."

"I'm so sorry to hear that," I quickly responded. I didn't mean for him to shift his mood so much.

"It's alright. It happened a long time ago. So, is it true?"

"What?"

"My theory. That the box came from the surface."

"Ah, it's very likely. They do have music boxes back home. I remember I'd use music boxes to practice my routine."

"Which routine?"

"Well, I know I was a dancer. And hearing this music reminds me of when I used to practice my dances at home. I would listen to the box and my body would dance according to my muscle memory."

"Do you feel the need to dance now?"

"It would be nice to try."

"By all means," he said gently, "do whatever you wish!" I smiled and as the melody began, I took a few steps, turning into skips, turning into leaps, turning into turns. My hands positioned themselves gracefully and I let the music take me like the ocean reaching for the sand, taking any small creatures it can find to pull into the deep waves. I could feel the music resonating in my bones and my muscles followed through with what the music yearned for me to do. "You're an excellent dancer!" I would take small, quick steps to follow the notes and huge leaps when it became dramatic. After a while of dancing, the King joined me by tilting his head left and right along to the beat and tapping his foot.

"Are you thirsty?" he asked after dancing for a while. "I haven't danced with such joy for a long time now. It seems like forever since I last danced."

"I'd like a drink, thank you." I didn't want to ask him about the last time he danced. It seemed to me as though he had a very sad past. We walked to his kitchen where he asked me for my favorite tea. I told him that I'd have what he liked. He lit the stovetop with magical fireballs coming from his hands. In a mere minute, the water resting in the pot began to boil. We walked down to the kitchen and dipped golden flower into the tea and added a few cubes of sugar. I stared at the flower petals as their colors dissolved into the water.

"Are all flowers monsters?" I asked.

"I've never met a flower who was a monster. From my knowledge, flowers are plants; rich with beauty and taste."

I nodded my head. That flower probably lived in isolation. No wonder it was so bitter. King Asgore had a sad past but he wasn't bitter.

I was ready.

I would be a savior.

I stood up. "King Asgore, thank you for your kindness: showering me with music and tea. I'm ready to help out monsterkind."

"You don't have to die right away. You can stay here. Dance, drink tea, and have fun every day until old age. Please be open to that option."

"I am and I have decided that I would become unhappy, because of the lack of family. However, my moral needs are stronger than my personal needs. I have seen how diverse monsters are. Some mean, some kind. And I don't think that you should all be trapped down here. So please, King, take my soul.

"I hate to be your executioner."

"It's okay. I understand everything."

"Your integrity will benefit monsterkind immensely. Thank you, human." I closed my eyes, awaiting the blow.

Integrity.

Integrity.

Integrity.

Integrity.

My integrity is what led me to the fateful moment. My strong morality and decision to help others out came with a grave price.

Integrity isn't my virtue.

Integrity is my vice.


End file.
